Hair Extension Tip and Method for Making Therefor

ABSTRACT

A hair extension comprises a plurality of extension hair strands, an attaching end that is adapted to be fixed to a hair extension, fixing device and a free end that is opposite to the attaching end. Each of the extension hair strands comprises a first end portion that is held by the attaching end, and. a second end portion that is free thereby forcing the free end of the hair extension. The attaching end comprises a tip portion and a fan portion that extends from the tip portion, which hold the first end portions of the extension hair strands. Each of the first ends of the extension hair strands are extended through, the tip portion, and the fan portion. A method forms the tip portion and the fan portion using a mold while resin forming the attaching portion is plastic.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on the inventor's Provisional Application No.62/266,508 filed on Dec. 11, 2015, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

The present invention is related to a hair extension. More particularly,the present invention is related to a hair extension having a fan-shapedtip and method for making therefor.

2. Discussion of Related Technology

Generally, the hair extension technology connects one or more extensionhair, pieces to hair of a person or an animal. The extension hair piecesare to snake the person/animal's hair look longer or thicker and/or addcolor accents to the person/animal's hair, The extension hair pieces forhair extension are in various forms and shapes, and include hair weaves,widgets, etc. In order to attach hair extension to customer's naturalhair, various methods using metal tubes, double-sided tape, hair pinshave been used. FIG. 1 snows a prior art, in which an end of the hairextension is cut as a fan shape, while this facilitates insertion of theend to a hair extension tube, retaining strength, of the crimped tube isvery weak, because most hair strands are cut away and only comparativelysmall number of hair strands remain sit the tip of the hair extension.Providing natural appearance and reducing user's discomfort are the twokey goals for hair extension attachment. Using less material andreducing dimension of attaching means have always been technologicalchallenge. An easy-to-attach, yet strong bonding hair extension hasalways been in need. The foregoing discussion in this section is toprovide general background information, and does not constitute anadmission of prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the invention is to provide a hair extension, which iseasy to attach to natural hair of a customer.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a hair extension thathas enhanced strength in fixing to the natural hair of a customer.

Still another objective of the invention is to provide a manufacturingmethod for the hair extension.

In order to achieve the objective, the present invention provides a hairextension comprising a plurality of extension hair strands, an attachingend that is adapted to be fixed to a hair extension fixing device and c)a free end that is opposite to the attaching end. Each of the extensionhair strands comprises a first end portion that is held by the attachingend, and a second end portion that is free thereby forming the free endof the hair extension.

The attaching end comprises a tip portion and a fan portion that extendsfrom the tip portion, which hold the first end portions of the extensionhair strands. Each of the first end portions of the extension hairstrands are extended through the tip portion and the fan portion. Thewidth of the tip portion is predetermined, and the width of the fanportion becomes gradually bigger than the width of the tip portion asthe fan portion extends from the tip portion. The cross section of thetip portion is rectangular.

The present invention further provides a method for making a hairextension comprising steps of a) applying resin at end portions of aplurality of hair strands to form an attaching end of the hairextension; b) while the resin is in plastic state, rolling the endportions of the hair strands to form a round tip potion for the hairextension; c) while the resin is in plastic state, forming a fan portionthat extends from the tip portion; and d) curing the resin therebymaking the tip portion and the fan portion harden,

The method further comprises a step of flattening the tip portionthereby making the cross-section of the tip portion rectangular beforethe step of curing.

A mold is used to form the tip portion and the fan portion, wherein themold is provided at the head of a hand-held tool.

The advantageous effects of the present invention are: (1) in theprocess of fixing the hair extension to a customer's natural hair, thesmall tip portion facilitates inserting the hair extension into a hairextension fixing tube; (2) because the number of hair strands are keptin the tip portion, when the tube is squeezed, many hair strands contactwith the natural hair providing strong bonding; (3) the fan portionprovides natural appearance because the hair strands are spreadgradually; and (4) because the tip portion is rectangular, when the tipportion is inserted into the tube and the tube is squeezed, the hairstrands broadly contacts the natural hair, which is arranged flat inhair extension work.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the best embodiments of the presentinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a. hair extension by prior art;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a hair extension according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial elevation view of the hair extension showing anattaching end of the hair extension;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV on FIG.3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a tool used for a method for making thehair extension; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing the method for making the hairextension.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments will be described in detail below. The accompanying drawingswill be used for describing embodiments. For the sake of convenience ofillustrating embodiments, thickness, length, diameter, size and otherdimensions of components and/or hair would, be illustrated orexaggerated to be different with those of actual components and/or hair,and the subject matter of this application is not limited to theillustrated embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 2, a hair extension 10 comprises a plurality ofextension hair strands 12, an attaching end 14 that is adapted, to befixed to a hair extension fixing device 16 and a free end 18 that isopposite to the attaching end 14. Each of the extension hair strands 12comprises a first end portion 20 that is held by the attaching end 14,and a second end portion 22 that is free thereby forming the free end 18of the hair extension 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, the attaching end 14 comprises a tip portion 24 anda fan portion 26 that extends from the tip portion 24, which hold thefirst end portions 20 of the extension hair strands 12. Each of thefirst end portions 20 of the extension hair strands 12 are extendedthrough the tip portion 24 and the fan portion 28, The width hi of thetip portion 24 is predetermined, and the width b2 of the fan portion 26becomes gradually bigger than the width b1 of the tip portion 24 as thefan portion 26 extends from the tip portion 24. FIG. 4 shows that thecross section of the tip portion 24 is rectangular and the first endportions 20 of the extension hair strands 12 are embedded in resin 28.

FIG. 5 shows a method for making a hair extension 10. The methodcomprises step S1 of applying resin 28 at end portions of a plurality ofhair strands 12 to form the attaching end 14 of the hair extension 10;step S2 that while the resin is in plastic state, roiling the endportions of the hair strands 12 to form a round tip potion 24 for thehair extension 10; step S3 that while the resin is in plastic state,forming a fan portion 26 that extends from the tip portion 24; and stepS5 of curing the resin thereby making the tip portion 24 and the fanportion 26 harden.

The method further comprises a step S04 of flattening the tip portion 24thereby making the cross-section of the tip portion rectangular beforethe step S05 of curing.

FIG. 5 shows that a mold 30 is used to form the tip portion 24 and thefan portion 26. The mold 30 is provided at the head of a hand-held tool32.

The method is explained again. Ends of hair strands are dipped intoresin. Hair strands are rolled, and fixed together as the resinsolidifies. Before the resin is fully hardened, or by softened byheating, predetermined length the tip (refer to ‘L2’ on FIG. 3) ispressed with a tool 32 so that a flat fan-shaped portion 26 is formed.Because the hair strands of hair extension suspend from the flatfan-shaped portion, they are evenly distributed and serge naturally withthe customer's original hair. A predetermined length of the tip (referto ‘L1’ on FIG. 3) is pressed with a tool 32 so that the tip isflattened to some degree, Because the tip is flat rather than round, itdoes not split customer's hair within the hair extension fixing ringresulting in firmer and. wider connection between the customer's hairand the hair extension. The tool 32 is customized to have mould havesthat forms the tip portion and the fan portion.

Although the hair extension according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention has been described in detail hereinabove, it should beunderstood that many variations and modifications of the basic inventiveconcept herein described, which may appear to those skilled in the art,will still fall within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodimentsof the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

The drawings and the forgoing description gave examples of the presentinvention. The scope of the present invention, however, is by no meanslimited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whetherexplicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences instructure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope ofthe invention is at least as broad as given by the following claims.

1. A hair extension comprising: a) a plurality of extension hairstrands; b) an attaching end that is adapted to be fixed to a hairextension fixing device; and c) a free end that is opposite to theattaching end; wherein each of the extension hair strands comprises afirst end portion that is held by the attaching end, and a second endportion that is free thereby forming the free end of the hair extension;wherein the attaching end comprises a rip portion and a fan portion thatextends from the tip portion, which hold the first end portions of theextension hair strands; wherein each of the first end portions of theextension hair strands are extended through the tip portion and the fanportion; wherein the width of the tip portion is predetermined, and thewidth of the fan portion becomes gradually bigger than the width of thetip portion as the fan portion extends from the tip portion.
 2. The hairextension of claim 1, wherein the cross section of the tip portion isrectangular.
 3. A method, for making a hair extension comprising stepsof: a) applying resin at end portions of a plurality of hair strands toform an attaching end of the hair extension; b) while the resin is inplastic state, rolling the end portions of the hair strands to form around tip potion for the hair extension; c) while the resin is inplastic state, forming a fan portion that extends from the tip portion;and d) curing the resin thereby making the tip portion and the fanportion harden.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a step offlattening the tip portion thereby making the cross-section of the tipportion rectangular before the step of curing.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein a meld is used to form the tip portion and the fan portion,wherein the mold is provided at the head of a hand-held tool.